A Secret Rich Angel
by WhiteAsukalover
Summary: Set during Season 3 after it starts. Alexis realizes that she could never win Jaden or love Chazz. But what happens when she falls for the school’s new rich kid… Alexis X Adrian One-sided JXA Blair X Marcel MAYBE No flames please!
1. Burying The Past And Meeting Adrian

A/N: This is finally the start of the AdrianXAlexis story I had mentioned

_A/N: This is finally the start of the AdrianXAlexis story I had mentioned. To those Adrian haters out there (and that I assume is most GX fans, why I do not know as I like him) don't flame me for this fic. To those who are loyal readers of my ever-growing collection of stories I hope you enjoy this! There is mental angst by Alexis at the start of this, but after that up until much later the story will be free of angst. Jaden may be a little OOC in this so don't flame me as you've been warned. This chapter does not have virtually any dialogue as most of it is Alexis thinking but towards the end, she sees Adrian and approaches him._

_Brief Summary: Set during Season 3 after it starts. Alexis realizes that she could never win Jaden or love Chazz. But what happens when she falls for the school's new rich kid…_

Alexis Rhodes exited the main entrance of Duel Academy following the duel between the new exchange student, Jesse Andersen and 3rd-year student her friend and secret crush, Jaden Yuki.

"_Well that was a thrilling duel. Jaden won with his Neo-Spacians like always." _Alexis thought with a sigh as she kept walking.

"_I hate to say this but I'll never get to have Jaden. I mean let's face it. It's both our third year at the Academy and Jaden still has no idea of my feelings for him. At least when I was brainwashed in the Society of Light, I was actually respected by him but it wasn't the genuine respect I wanted from him. It was respect out of fear whereas if he didn't respect me I'd lash out at him. I guess Jaden and I just weren't meant to be. And oh God knows I could never love Chazz. We may be friends but in romance, well The Chazz just doesn't match right." _ She thought with a mental chuckle.

She kept walking for a moment as a thought of finality finally entered her mind.

"_If I'm to ever find love I must do one of two things. Either put Jaden behind me for good romance-wise or somehow get back to the Society of Light. Since the second is virtually impossible I must do the first." _She thought as she had made her choice.

She would do all she could to put Jaden behind her.

For the first time in what seemed like days, maybe even months since her demise as the Society of Light's 'White Queen' she had actually felt content about something.

But there was still a deep nagging feeling inside her that wished she had never been freed from the Society's grip.

She brushed off the thought for a moment, figuring it was just a strange, unwanted impulsive one.

She was driven from her thoughts for the time being as she heard the soft, quiet humming of the new exchange student from East Academy, Adrian Gecko who was resting on the grass in front of a large shady tree.

Adrian was a tall muscular teen with dark-red hair who wore light silver rounded glasses. Around his neck he wore a dark black necklace.

He normally wore a East Academy blazer with various rings and bands on his right arm.

Unseen by the casual observer is a wireless ear transmitter in his left ear used to communicate with his close friend Echo, that to the normal observer looked like an earring.

Adrian looked up at the sky thoughtfully as he watched the passing clouds floated by high above him.

Alexis gulped softly and cautiously approached him.

Adrian looked at her as she approached. "Hey there." He said in a calm reserved tone.

"H-Hi I'm Alexis Rhodes. What's your name? I heard Viper introduce you but I must have dozed off for a minute or 2." Alexis answered, holding back a blush.

Adrian chuckled quietly. "I see. I'm Adrian Gecko but call me Adrian." He answered.

Alexis smiled and nodded. "It's good to meet you Adrian."

He nodded in response. "Likewise."

To be continued…


	2. Staring And Chatting

A/N: Here's Chapter 2 of A Secret Rich Angel

_A/N: Here's Chapter 2 of A Secret Rich Angel. Forgive me if this is either a super-short chapter or if the characters are OOC. I spent most of yesterday writing 'Chibi Yugi' so my brain is virtually fried of ideas right now, but I'm trying anyway! Enjoy!_

_Last Time_

"_H-Hi I'm Alexis Rhodes. What's your name? I heard Viper introduce you but I must have dozed off for a minute or 2." Alexis answered, holding back a blush._

_Adrian chuckled quietly. "I see. I'm Adrian Gecko but call me Adrian." He answered._

_Alexis smiled and nodded. "It's good to meet you Adrian."_

_He nodded in response. "Likewise."_

_End Flashback_

Alexis chuckled nervously, unsure of what to say next.

Adrian's gaze stayed fixed on her, waiting to see what next it was she was going to say.

"So…um…I…" Alexis stuttered, trying to find the right words but failed miserably in doing so.

"Yes, Alexis?" Adrian asked, a bit curious at the fact that she had such trouble assembling her words in front of him.

"What are you doing, just staring at the clouds like that?" She asked, almost impulsively.

"_Nice going, Alexis. Now if he's anything like Chazz when a girl other than me talks to him, he'll snap at you and storm off!" _She thought, mentally scolding herself for asking such an impulsive question.

She knew that with having high amounts of money came a high and mighty 'I'm better than you' attitude.

She knew that all too well from her experiences with Chazz.

She did her best to hold back a sigh as her blonde bangs fell in front of her face as she waited for Adrian to snap at her like she expected, but he never did.

She slowly brought her head back up to the elder Gecko, but to her surprise he was smiling.

"I'm here looking at the clouds because it relaxes me. And relaxation helps facilitate a healthy balance between body and mind, you know." He answered.

"Wow…that was so deep…so wise. Did you make that up?" She asked, intrigued by how insightful his remark was.

Adrian chuckled quietly as he pushed his lens back up against his eyes gently. "No, why?" He asked.

"No reason." She replied quickly.

"_Wow maybe I was wrong about him. He didn't snap at me like Chazz would've if it were another girl." _She thought, unknowingly blushing.

Adrian noticed this, but was polite enough not to bring it up.

"So…may I sit with you and watch the clouds for a while?" She asked as her blush grew darker.

She could hear her pounding heart beats ringing in her ears as she anxiously waited Adrian's answer.

After what seemed like hours, Adrian smiled.

"Sure I would enjoy some company. It will give a chance for us to get to know one another more." He replied as he moved over, creating a spot for her to lay next to him.

She held back a giggle as she slowly sat down next to him and slowly slid downward until her body was peacefully sprawled out the same as his.

"So how do you like things here at Duel Academy?" She asked, as she gazed upward at the clouds that slowly but in a highly beautiful manner passed by.

"It is not as upscale as East Academy from what I have seen so far, but of course I haven't seen all of what this Academy offers yet." Adrian answered, his eyes not moving from the passing clouds.

"Who else have you met here at the Academy?" She asked, assuming that with his rich status he had probably already met a plethora of people.

"No one." He answered calmly.

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, hoping he wouldn't see she was playing dumb.

Adrian chuckled softly. "What I mean is that you're the only one here at the Academy I have met so far since arriving here."

She held back a joyful squeal as she smiled at him. "I see. Well I guess I'll be going. Nice meeting you, Adrian." She told him as she got up from where she'd been sitting.

"I agree. It was nice meeting you, Alexis." Adrian replied, shifting his gaze from the clouds above to her near him.

"Yup, I guess I'll see you around." She said with a slight giggle.

"Yes I have a feeling our paths will cross again soon." He replied with a grin.

She smiled and waved good-bye to him as he returned the good-bye wave.

Little did the 2 duelists know that they had been watched by a very jealous and enraged Chazz Princeton who had seen the whole visit between the two from a secluded location and was burning with absolute rage…

To be continued…


	3. Fiery Encounter

A/N: Damn, I've been busy today

_A/N: Damn, I've been busy today. This is the 6th story I've updated today! Anyways hope you all enjoy the chapter. Also since real-life history is never mentioned in fanfics I had Adrian make a joke out of Chazz saying Alexis 'belonged' to him._

_Last Time_

_She smiled and waved good-bye to him as he returned the good-bye wave._

_Little did the 2 duelists know that they had been watched by a very jealous and enraged Chazz Princeton who had seen the whole visit between the two from a secluded location and was burning with absolute rage…_

_End Flashback_

Chazz peered out from inside the bush he was hiding in, his furious charcoal eyes locking with those of the calm, cool exchange student from East Academy.

"Gecko…How dare he steal my Lexi! How dare he!" Chazz seethed angrily to himself but not quiet enough to prevent Adrian from hearing.

"Who's there?" Adrian asked, his curiosity piqued.

Chazz inched closer but accidentally tripped on a loose branch and tumbled out of the bush at the East Academy champ's feet.

"Ouch…damn it that hurt." Chazz muttered as he stood up, brushing himself off.

Alexis turned around, having heard the crash and her eyes widened only for her face to contort into a frown upon seeing Chazz but kept quiet for the time being.

"You!" Chazz snarled, pointing an angry finger at the perplexed Adrian as he continued. "What are you doing with **MY** Lexi?!" He barked.

Adrian however found Chazz's little scene to be quite amusing and he chuckled softly before he spoke up in his usual calm and cool manner.

"You're Lexi? She does not belong to you, Princeton. In case you didn't know, if history isn't your thing slavery, which is how your referring to Alexis belonging to you ended in 1763 over 240 years ago." Adrian replied with a slight smirk.

Chazz slapped his forehead in annoyance.

"I know god damn well slavery ended, Gecko! What I meant by that is Alexis belongs to me because she's my girlfriend!" Chazz screeched.

"Since when, Princeton?" Adrian asked coolly as he dusted his glasses' lenses off with his right index finger

"Yes Chazz, since when?" Alexis asked, her voice having a slight edge to it.

"Since…Since our first year!" Chazz stuttered.

Alexis' eyes blazed before she started screaming at the youngest Princeton.

"**YOU LOST THAT DUEL, YOU BAKA!**" She screamed.

Adrian, seeing her get overexcited, gently placed his hands on her delicate shoulders.

Alexis, feeling his touch, held back a blush as she counted to 10 in her mind before she calmed down again.

"Alexis-san if I may interrupt…" Adrian began politely.

"Yes Adrian?" Alexis asked.

"I'm just curious but what duel are you talking about?" He asked as he smiled at her.

"Some duel my idiot but still loving brother set up." Alexis muttered.

"Would you like to talk about it sometime? I'd love to learn about your past." He said gently.

Alexis smiled. "Sure I'd be glad to, Adrian." She replied happily.

"He's so kind, so smart, and so wise. And he's got a really good sense of humor. He's a great guy all-around in my opinion of him so far." She thought, doing a sort of mental assessment of Adrian.

"Get your spoiled rich hands off my Lexi!" Chazz shouted, slapping Adrian's hand away from her shoulder.

That was both the wrong thing to say and do as Alexis' eyes blazed once more and she proceeded to kick Chazz in the shin and slap him in the face before she spoke up once more.

"You're Lexi? I'm not your property, Chazz! And watch who you're calling spoiled!" She screeched angrily at him.

"What do you mean?" Chazz asked, trying to act innocent.

"You're a spoiled brat, not Adrian!" She hissed angrily.

Chazz's eyes widened in shock, at how hurtful her words were.

"You are! You only think about yourself!"

"Alexis my new friend, shall we go?" Adrian asked gently.

"Yes let's…" Alexis said calmly.

Adrian smiled and led her away slowly.

Chazz gave her a pleading stare but she just merely scoffed at him in response.

He hung his head in despair.

He had lost her more than ever now…

To be continued…


	4. Secret Jealousy Uncovered

A/N: Here's Chapter 4 of A Secret Rich Angel

_A/N: Here's Chapter 4 of A Secret Rich Angel! Enjoy the chapter everyone! Also Jaden may be a bit OOC as he realizes Alexis is spending a lot of time with Adrian. Oh and Syrus may be considered OOC as well as after Jaden mentions that Alexis is spending a lot of time with Alexis, he teases Jaden in sing-song._

_Last Time_

_"Alexis my new friend, shall we go?" Adrian asked gently._

"_Yes let's…" Alexis said calmly._

_Adrian smiled and led her away slowly._

_Chazz gave her a pleading stare but she just merely scoffed at him in response._

_He hung his head in despair._

_He had lost her more than ever now…_

_End Flashback_

As the 2 walked, every so often she would gaze longingly at him, then blush then look away before he could actually catch her blushing.

After a few moments of silence after leaving Chazz behind, Alexis finally broke her silence.

"So what kind of deck do you use, Adrian-san? Is something related to your love of clouds?" She asked, taking a random stab in the dark though she blushed at using honorifics after his name.

Adrian chuckled slightly. "Actually yes. I use a deck of monsters known as the Cloudian monsters. Want to see the spirit of one?" He asked, smiling kindly at her.

Alexis giggled softly. "Sure I'd love to, Adrian-san." She answered sweetly.

Adrian continued to smile as he played a card on his duel disk, drawing out the monster spirit inside.

The spirit however was a small, white and fluffy, nearly virtually harmless cloud monster.

"This is one of my personal favorites. Meet Cloudian - Sheep Cloud." Adrian said with a smile.

Alexis giggled, seeing the little Fairy creature.

"Aww he's adorable, Adrian-san!" She squealed softly.

Adrian smiled and nodded.

The little Cloud creature flowed over to Alexis and gently laid itself on her hand as he purred.

Adrian chuckled a little at his monster's actions.

"Seems like my little friend has taken a liking to you, Alexis." He replied, gently stroking the Cloudian monster's body with 2 fingers.

Alexis blushed at the boy's last comment.

"Yeah…I…suppose he has…" She replied, having trouble assembling her words like earlier before the incident with Chazz.

Meanwhile at the Slifer Red Dorm, Jaden had just returned with Jesse and Syrus on either side of him.

"You know what's weird guys?" Jaden asked, though his tone was as optimistic as ever.

"What's that Jay?" Jesse and Syrus asked at the same time.

"Well you remember that new guy, the one with the glasses?" Jaden inquired.

"Adrian?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah that guy." Jaden answered with a nonchalant grin.

"What about him, Jay?" Jesse asked, wondering why the Slifer ace would bring up the eldest son of the Gecko Financial Group almost out of the blue as he did.

"Well it's just Adrian is spending a lot of time with Alexis lately but I have no idea why." The brunette replied.

Syrus grinned deviously at this response.

"Jay's jealous! Jay's jealous that Lex found another guy!" He sang teasingly.

Jaden's cheeks flushed bright red at his friend's teasing singing.

"I'm not jealous, Sy!" Jaden sputtered, blushing more as he spoke.

"Then why did you suddenly bring Alexis into the picture, Aniki?" Sy countered, grinning, knowing he had won.

"Because…I…I…" Jaden stammered before finally throwing his hands up in defeat.

Syrus had uncovered his weakness without even trying, it seemed.

But he promised himself he'd keep a close watch on Adrian and only strike when the time was precise to do so and not a moment later…

To be continued…


	5. Quelling Her Worry

A/N: Here's Chapter 5 of A Secret Rich Angel

_A/N: Here's Chapter 5 of A Secret Rich Angel! Aside from one flame from Flame Rising, who was extremely harsh as he/she curses every other word, this story is surprisingly popular. I honestly did not think I'd have nearly 20 reviews by Chapter 5. Anyways enjoy! Also I apologize if I make Alexis OOC in this chapter as I'm trying my very best to keep her in character while making Adrian in character as well but not as one reviewer says 'as snobby as the dub makes him'._

_Last Time_

"_Seems like my little friend has taken a liking to you, Alexis." He replied, gently stroking the Cloudian monster's body with 2 fingers._

_Alexis blushed at the boy's last comment._

"_Yeah…I…suppose he has…" She replied, having trouble assembling her words like earlier before the incident with Chazz._

_End Flashback_

Adrian noticed her speech trouble again but speaks up about it this time. "Are you all right, Alexis-san?" He asked gently.

Alexis blushed darkly, hearing him use honorifics after her name, before she nodded.

Adrian smiled kindly, glad that nothing was wrong with his new friend. "So anyway Alexis you never told me what kind of deck you use." He said, trying not to sound snobby as he thought of the Princeton kid. He was being completely honest and acting out of his own curiosity.

She chuckled and blushed slightly upon Adrian mentioning this before she spoke up. "Are you sure you want to know? My deck might be considered a little too girly for you." She said with a slight giggle.

Adrian chuckled softly. "I promise you I don't judge others unless they judge me first. I can see that your kind enough not to judge people based on their decks, dueling skill or dorm affiliation. So I will not judge you based on your deck or decks you may have." He said with a sort of relaxed smile.

Alexis inwardly sighed. Her biggest worry about him had been quelled so easily by him with virtually no effort which made her actually showing off her decks to him far easier than it would have been only moments ago had he not revealed what he just said to her. "Are you ready to see a spirit from my deck, Adrian-san?" She asked, smiling.

"Yes, but please know this. You do not have to show me a spirit of yours if you're not ready to do so. What I'm saying is you do not have to rush things just for me, Alexis-san. Take all the time you need and show me your spirit when you feel you are good and ready. But if you're ready now, then by all means go ahead and show me." Adrian replied, smiling as he said the last part.

"_There he goes again. He can be philosophical at times, like just now, and not even know it. He's so mysterious in his way of speaking or even the cards he has in his deck. It makes me eager to learn even more about him." _Alexis thought, smiling as she did before finally speaking in reply to Adrian. "No I'm good and ready, Adrian-san. But are you completely sure you want to see a spirit of one of my cards?" She asked, desiring one final confirmation from the East Academy transfer student.

Adrian nodded as he spoke. "I am sure. Please, if you may Alexis-san and show me that spirit you mentioned." He said, his glasses getting a small glint from the sunlight.

Alexis giggled and nodded, taking out her deck and placing a card on her duel disk, drawing out the monster spirit inside it…

_To be continued…_


	6. Slipping Up

A/N: Here's the long-awaited Chapter 6 of A Secret Rich Angel

_A/N: Here's the long-awaited Chapter 6 of A Secret Rich Angel. Enjoy it my friends and compadres! Also Adrian may be a bit OOC upon seeing Alexis' monster. Also unintentionally Jim gets Adrian to spill the fact that he likes Alexis._

_Last Time_

_Adrian nodded as he spoke. "I am sure. Please, if you may Alexis-san and show me that spirit you mentioned." He said, his glasses getting a small glint from the sunlight._

_Alexis giggled and nodded, taking out her deck and placing a card on her duel disk, drawing out the monster spirit inside it…_

_End Flashback_

The small monster materialized into a small pink-haired ballerina dressed in a light blue tutu with red sleeves to go with her pink ballet slippers.

Alexis smiled, full of pride. "Meet my Cyber Tutu!" She called with a giggle.

Adrian blushed very faintly as he stared at his friend's monster. "A ballerina monster, Alexis-san?" He asked curiously.

Alexis blushed some herself. "Yes Adrian-san. You see, ever since I was little I have enjoyed ballet and other dance-related sports." She replied.

Adrian's blush grew slightly darker but she didn't catch this. "I see." He replied calmly.

However at that moment a boy about Alexis' age wearing a cowboy hat and had a pet crocodile in a special pouch came running. "G'day mates." The boy greeted, tipping his hat. He spoke with a rather heavy Australian accent.

"Hello Jim 'Crocodile' Cook, was it?" Alexis asked sweetly.

Jim chuckled lightly. "That's right little lady. And your Alexis Rhodes right?" He asked, his voice taking on a bit of a drawl.

She smiled and nodded.

"Jim why are you here?" Adrian asked, for the first time acting a bit annoyed.

Jim just smiled. "Can't I come chat with ya, mate?" He asked.

"No." Adrian answered, a little perturbed but his voice retained it's calm quality.

Jim frowned slightly and beckoned Adrian to follow him but Alexis discreetly followed as well.

"What is this about, Jim?" Adrian asked.

Jim's frown disappeared and was replaced by a slight smirk. "That girl your with my friend."

"What girl?" Adrian asked, his emotions starting to cloud his judgment and speech.

Jim grinned. "Alexis. You like her."

Adrian glared slightly. "Yeah I do…w-wait…you just…grr Jim!!" He growled.

Jim just laughed slightly as Alexis looked on with a surprised stare.

To be continued…


	7. Aftermath

_A/N: I'm sorry its been forever since my last update but that wait is over. To all that reviewed 6, please review 7. And thanks to Peach Wookiee for helping me out with this chapter!_

_Last Time_

_However at that moment a boy about Alexis' age wearing a cowboy hat and had a pet crocodile in a special pouch came running. "G'day mates." The boy greeted, tipping his hat. He spoke with a rather heavy Australian accent._

"_Hello Jim 'Crocodile' Cook, was it?" Alexis asked sweetly._

_Jim chuckled lightly. "That's right little lady. And your Alexis Rhodes right?" He asked, his voice taking on a bit of a drawl._

_She smiled and nodded._

"_Jim why are you here?" Adrian asked, for the first time acting a bit annoyed._

_Jim just smiled. "Can't I come chat with ya, mate?" He asked._

"_No." Adrian answered, a little perturbed but his voice retained it's calm quality._

_Jim frowned slightly and beckoned Adrian to follow him but Alexis discreetly followed as well._

"_What is this about, Jim?" Adrian asked._

_Jim's frown disappeared and was replaced by a slight smirk. "That girl you're with my friend."_

"_What girl?" Adrian asked, his emotions starting to cloud his judgment and speech._

_Jim grinned. "Alexis. You like her."_

_Adrian glared slightly. "Yeah I do…w-wait…you just…grr Jim!!" He growled._

_Jim just laughed slightly as Alexis looked on with a surprised stare._

_End Flashback_

"Uh...what?" Alexis asked.

She was extremely surprised at this revelation. Being that her previous crush, Jaden, was very ignorant in terms of romance, she had somewhat expected Adrian to take a long while revealing his own feelings about her.

Jim smirked slightly, somewhat glad he had managed to coax the truth out of Adrian. He however, was a bit surprised that Adrian had caved so easily to his coaxing method, considering Adrian was usually extremely calm, but he figured Adrian caved so easily simply because he was unfamiliar with that type of situation, but for the moment unless either of the 2 duelists did something unexpected, Jim's coaxing mattered not.

Adrian meanwhile just blushed darkly. Had Alexis not been nearby, the elder Gecko probably wouldn't have minded putting the fossil duelist into a choke-hold for squeezing his secret feelings for the younger Rhodes duelist out of him. He hadn't planned on telling her he liked her first, but rather wait until she had come around and revealed her liking for him in which case then he would return the favor and tell of his liking for her, but now thanks to Jim, his timing and carefully-constructed plan had been completely upset. He dearly hoped that by admitting them in the impromptu way he had been coerced into doing, he hadn't made a fool of himself in her eyes. If that were to end up being the case, Adrian was sure he'd never be able to live it down and forgive himself. Anxiously, he silently awaited her response.

"Adrian...is this true?" She asked the Cloudian duelist quietly. She was by no means angry with him, but instead she was rather impressed that he albeit with some coaxing from Jim admitted to liking her. But it was the quickness and small amount of time they'd known one another that he'd grown to like her that truly took her by surprise as she figured it would take a calm, collected and controlled person like Adrian a bit longer to develop a likeness for her.

"Yes...Alexis-san, it is." Adrian answered quietly, almost wishing he didn't have to answer her question. He knew that whether he told the truth or lied would matter in equal weight of how she felt about the muscular teen. He knew that regardless of his response there would be great implications in either case. Nervously he fiddled with his glasses, not even making total eye contact with her as he awaited her response to his confirmation of her earlier question.

Alexis didn't speak but she felt her cheeks heat up as they turned a dark crimson color, as she was overcome with emotions.

Adrian noticed this and turned away so as to not point it out to her as his own cheeks began to redden as he tried hiding his own softer blush.

She wasn't sure why she did it but the Queen of Obelisk Blue wasn't used to being like this, or in other words showing her emotions so easily, so she turned and retreated to the Obelisk Blue dorm almost in a dead sprint. "I'm sorry, Adrian." She spoke quietly before running off.

Adrian turned around to face Jim. "Wait...Jim...did I do something wrong?" He asked, a bit nervous.

"Uh...no...I don't think so, mate..." Jim answered.

"Then why did she...run off?" Adrian asked, very confused.

"I think she's just in shock, mate..."

"Should I...follow her?" Adrian asked curiously. At this point, the Cloudian duelist was at a complete loss of what to do.

"Give her some time alone, mate. Adrian, she needs it." The Australian-accented teen told his friend.

"All right, thanks Jim." Adrian answered, smiling despite what had just happened.

"No problem." Jim answered, grinning.

"I suppose I could go see Jesse..." Adrian mused but it was still loud enough for Jim to hear.

"Might be a good idea," Jim said. "Go for it."

"Ok I will. If Alexis wants to see me, come find me." He requested of his friend as politely as he could.

"You got it, mate, now go!" Jim exclaimed, as though he wanted his friend to leave him alone, but he was only teasing and the Fossil duelist was sure Adrian knew that.

Adrian chuckled softly at his friend's response and jogged off. He just hoped that seeing Jesse would take his mind off Alexis for awhile, while she took her time to recover from the slight shock he had given her.

But what Adrian didn't know was that he wasn't the only one vying for Alexis' attention and unintentionally because of that fact, a war would soon brew…

To be continued…


	8. The Attention War

_Last Time_

_"I suppose I could go see Jesse..." Adrian mused but it was still loud enough for Jim to hear._

_"Might be a good idea," Jim said. "Go for it."_

_"Ok I will. If Alexis wants to see me, come find me." He requested of his friend as politely as he could._

_"You got it, mate, now go!" Jim exclaimed, as though he wanted his friend to leave him alone, but he was only teasing and the Fossil duelist was sure Adrian knew that._

_Adrian chuckled softly at his friend's response and jogged off. He just hoped that seeing Jesse would take his mind off Alexis for awhile, while she took her time to recover from the slight shock he had given her._

_But what Adrian didn't know was that he wasn't the only one vying for Alexis' attention and unintentionally because of that fact, a war would soon brew…_

_End Flashback_

At that moment, Jaden and Jesse were sitting at Slifer Red, staring out at the ocean.

"That is one fine ocean," Jesse said.

"Yeah...just don't try to run away on it," Jaden commented.

"Ever been surfing?"

"No; why do ya ask?" Jesse asked curiously.

"Just checking...I saw Adrian doing it yesterday and I'd like to try it..." And then he was behind them. Jesse noticed and Jaden said, "He's standing right behind me..."

"Hey Jesse." Adrian greeted calmly.

"Howdy, Adrian. What brings you here?" Jesse greeted. "Why you look as nervous as a crawfish at a gumbo shack."

"No reason." He answered quickly.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Jaden observed.

"Really it's nothing, nothing about Alexis or anything...Oh god damn it!" Adrian cursed.

Jesse's jaw dropped. "Holy..! You like her!"

Adrian sighed in defeat. "Yes..."

"Uh...say that again..." Jaden said, stunned.

"I like her."

Jaden fell over.

Adrian simply shrugged; having no clue Jaden was probably jealous.

"You...like her?" Jaden asked sitting up, a gleam in his eyes.

"For the third time, yes Jaden!" Adrian replied, growing exasperated with the naive teen.

"Well there's a problem with that..."

Adrian smirked. "Oh?"

"Yeah...I like her!"

Adrian laughed hard.

"Don't laugh...I do..."

Adrian brought his laugh down a bit. "I'm sorry, but there's just no way. I've researched you."

"Then your research sucks," Jaden countered.

"Jay...be nice..." Syrus answered meekly.

"Sy, I'd back off," Jesse whispered.

"What do you mean, Jesse?" Sy asked, curious.

"Where I'm from...this might result in a different type of duel..."

"A fistfight?"

"Or a gunfight..."

Sy almost instantly hid behind the other bluenette.

"I don't think they have guns, little buddy...but...well...let's just let them cool off..."

Adrian calmly looked Jaden in the eyes.

Jaden's eyes were burning.

"Jaden?" He asked.

"What?"

"Are you...perhaps jealous?" He asked teasingly.

"You think you're so hot, don't you?"

"In a sense, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

Jaden scowled. "What gives you the right to waltz in here?"

"What, my non-Zen-using friend, are you talking about?"

"Did you even think someone else might be interested in her?"

"No I did not, because you are far too naive."

"Stuck-up moron," Jaden muttered.

"Call me what you wish. It doesn't bother me at all."

Jaden scowled darkly. "And...do you actually get A's in school or do you have other people do your homework?"

Adrian chuckled softly. "Unlike Princeton, I do my own work so yes I do get A's, Jaden."

"Chazz doesn't have those resources... Your information's out of date."

"I should very much doubt that. He relies on the Princeton Corp. for everything."

"Uh...reality check, his brothers disowned him over a year ago..."

"Hmph, I knew that, I meant other people in the Princeton Corp."

"He has money but no control over the company. He doesn't get squat."

"Heh, believe what you want, Jaden." He replied coolly, the spirit of Cloudian - Sheep Cloud appearing on his shoulder.

Ordinarily, Jaden would've been thrilled to talk to a new duel spirit, but now, his eyes were on Adrian. "I know...unlike you..."

Adrian simply shrugged, not really bothered by Jaden's comment.

"You'll get tired of her..."

Adrian stared at him like he had lost his mind, as did Syrus.

"I know your type," Jaden continued.

"Hoo-boy," Jesse muttered.

Adrian simply shrugged it off once more.

"What's wrong with Jay?" Syrus whispered from behind Jesse.

"He likes her, too..." Jesse whispered back. "This ain't gonna end pretty..."

Jaden continued, "You rich boy party animals use girls and then leave 'em."

"I'm afraid you're wrong." Adrian answered, calmly stroking the Cloudian spirit's fur while the spirit purred contently.

"Really? Then prove it..."

"How, my hot-headed compadre?"

Jaden thought carefully. "I want to talk to your ex-girlfriends..."

"Uh...mates..."Jim said, coming up and sensing the tension in the air.

"I have none." Adrian said, turning to Jim. "What is it, Jim?" He asked.

"Seems a bit tense here...And you have no what, mate?"

"Ex-girlfriends." Adrian replied.

"You have to be kidding me," Jaden said. Jesse's eyes were wide, as were Jim's. "Then how in tarnation did they get pics of you kissin' Angelina Jolie since her split from Brad?!"

"It wasn't me, it was doctored."

"It was People Magazine not the Weekly World News!"

Adrian pushed his glasses back, a bit annoyed.

"Well, it was," Jesse blushed. "Seriously."

"Wasn't me, Jesse."

"Yeah, it was..."

"No, it wasn't." Adrian replied, the annoyance showing in his tone.

Jesse held up the magazine cover in retort. "Yeah it was..."

Jaden, meanwhile, had a throbbing vein in his head.

"It was a charity event. The dating part is only a rumor, all right? Geez..."

"Then why did you kiss her?" Jaden asked, enraged.

"It was just an innocent peck on her cheek. Good god..."

"Yeah, right..." Jaden...was not convinced.

Adrian turned around to face Jim. "Did you need something?" He asked in a low voice.

"I was just checkin' to see how things were going; mate...Looks like not so well..."

"No, for Jaden anyway. So does you-know-who want to talk or not yet?" He said, discreetly referring to Alexis.

"No...she's holed up in her room..."

"I better go see her…"

"No...I wouldn't yet."

"But she may need me."

"Give her distance, mate..."

"Yes but how much, Jim?"

"She'll tell ya..."

"I hope so… where's Axel when ya need him... He probably could help me a little more. No offense to you, Jim." He added quickly.

"Jim's right..." Jesse said, trying to be a peacemaker.

"Are you trying to help him?!" Jaden yelped.

"Uh, no..." Jesse said, sweat-dropping.

Adrian took a deep breath and walked away, just needing to clear his head for now.

To be continued…


End file.
